Devotion for the Week of April 16, 2007

I didn’t get a lot of work done yesterday since I was trying to stay up to the minute with the news coming out of Blacksburg, Virginia concerning the shootings at Virginia Tech. And instead of a traditional devotion today, I am going to share with you some thoughts.

I am happy to report that the one young member of Emmanuel that attends VT was not wounded. And the two people I know who work there were also not harmed. However, they are shocked and deeply affected. I believe, everyone is also shocked.

As I watched or listen to the news, I heard someone say, "God is not here."

When events such as those that happened at VT happen, our sense of peace is shattered, our thoughts and lives are intruded upon. Our lives are interrupted and we are saddened and shocked by it all. And it is easy to wonder if indeed God hasn't left this place a long time ago.

So, what do we do now? On NPR this morning I heard Judy Muller on "Morning Edition" recalled a remark made to her following the Columbine shootings. A woman at the 'makeshift memorial' of flowers and teddy bears that appeared almost immediately said, "The really sad thing is that we already know what to do." Muller went on to talk about all the public rituals and so forth that we now know must follow such events. We have done it before. We've buried our children.

But what should we do beyond that? I believe that we have to continue to be good parents to our children. And I don’t just mean just our offspring - I mean all the children in our lives. We must show strong love to them - and sometimes this means telling them NO. I believe that nurturing our children and pointing them in the right direction is some of the most important work we can do. We should not allow our children to withdraw from their community or to bully others.

In a discussion I had a friend of mine last night, the question was asked, "What would Jesus have us do?"

Since I have been working on next Sunday’s service already, the Gospel lesson came to my mind (John 21:1-19). Feed, Tend, Feed God’s Sheep.

Then there is the statement earlier, "God is not here."

In a way that is true, it is the season of Easter and we are celebrating the fact that the tomb is empty. God left THAT place, he did not stand around waiting for us to come upon Him. He comes to visit us in a NEW PLACE.

The opening verse of the Gospel reading says that "Jesus showed himself again to his disciples."
THAT'S what Jesus is doing today, showing himself to us, his disciples. But there is a good chance that we will be like those disciples and not recognize him at first. Like Peter, who went back to what he was doing before he knew Jesus (went fishing) - we often return to what we were doing. But Jesus told Peter and he tells us as well, "Feed my lambs," "Tend my sheep," "Feed my sheep."

That's what we can do right now. We are all called to be feeders and tenders. It is important to respond to events such as this one as a community and to look for places where God is at work in the aftermath of violence and death. As one of the ministers in the Blacksburg area said, "We need to affirm that God always gives the gift of new life, and that God can reclaim Virginia Tech as a place for kids to grow in knowledge and faith." We also need to be with our family and friends so that we can comfort them, and they us. As Christians we should find comfort in community.

So, where is God?

He has left the tomb, but he is with us now.

PAX,

Robert Lewis +